עברית
Faith
Is Killing a Snake in a Dream a Sign of Losing Livelihood?
Question
Hello and blessings, I work in construction site management during the night after a day of work. I dreamed that I saw a snake in the dream and said to the workers 'Do not kill it.' They left it alone, and it would leave by itself. After a few minutes, the Arab contractor (in my role on the site I am above him) came with an object in his hand and killed it despite my protest to leave it alone. I asked if the solution to the dream is as written in the Gemara that if a person sees a snake in a dream and kills it, it is a sign that he will lose his livelihood, or since the contractor killed the snake and not me, and I said to him to leave the snake alone, it is not a sign of losing livelihood? Thank you very much.
Answer
Greetings, It is written in Tractate Berachot (page 57a) that killing (a snake - Rashi) signifies loss of livelihood. This specifically applies when the dreamer himself kills the snake. However, in your case, since someone else killed the snake, there is no indication of losing livelihood, apart from the well-known fact that most dreams nowadays are without significance. Best wishes, Hillel Meirs
